‘Govt documents leaker identified, action to be taken under OSA’

KOTA KINABALU: The individual who leaked classified government documents has been identified and action will be taken under the Official Secrets Act.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa, without revealing the government officer’s background, said the matter would be left to the police and other authorities to investigate.

“The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has the forensic capabilities to identify the person.

“The individual will not only lose his or her job, but will also face punishment under the act,” he said after a gathering with civil servants in Sabah here yesterday.

On July 27, Ali, in a tweet, confirmed that MCMC had begun a probe into the matter.

In his keynote address earlier yesterday, Ali reminded civil servants that there was no compromise in the handling of such cases as they involved the integrity of public service.

“Integrity does not just involve corruption elements, but also leaking sensitive documents. That is why I advise government officers and staff on what can be shared and what should not be made public,” he said.

He reminded civil servants to serve the government of the day and carry out its policies.

“There are no two ways about it. Some people are defensive and do not want to share information or documents with the new administration.

“You must not get emotional. Otherwise, you must go through a rehabilitation phase, and if you still can’t (accept), you will have to be shown the door.”

Asked on the rehabilitation process, he said: “This is an ongoing process. Even officers who score less than 60 per cent in their evaluation, we send them for rehabilitation.

“We put them under different supervisors and retrain them for six months.

“If they still do not perform well, then we have exit policies and all that in the civil service,” said Ali.

Earlier in his speech, Ali said Sabah had many leaders of calibre, noting the appointment of Darell Leiking, Datuk Liew Vui Keong and Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi to the federal cabinet.

He highlighted Tan Sri Richard Malanjum’s appointment as the first chief justice from Sabah.

He said these were good indications and hoped more leaders from the state would be recognised.